This article is a Photo Essay on the Sikh festival, Vaisakhi. Vaisakhi is a harvest festival in Punjab and it marks the start of the Sikh New Year. It usually falls on the 13th or the 14th of April each year, and is celebrated all over the world by Sikhs with grand processions, food, lots of colour etc.
History of Vaisakhi
In 1699, in India, was the year when Sikhism was born as a collective faith, hence making it an even more important festival to celebrate the birth of Khalsa; the name given to a Sikh when you have been baptised.
Our 10th Guru chose the festival as the moment to establish the Khalsa. The history says that at the festival in 1699, he came out of a tent carrying a sword. He said that any Sikh prepared to give his life for his faith should come into the tent. From the crowd five men stood up and went forward into the tent. The Guru came out of the tent, with blood on his sword, seeing this caused worry and panic amongst the crowds.
Moments later, the Guru walks out of the tent with the five men, unharmed and wearing blue turbans, all five dressed the same way. They became known as Panj Pyare or the 'Beloved Five', they were to be the first members of the Khalsa to be baptised by the Guru who sprinkled them with Amrit (holy water). This ritual of the holy water and prayers became the basis of the Sikh baptism ceremony.
How Vaisakhi is celebrated all over the world?
Sikhs on Vaisakhi visit their local Gurdwaras, a place of worship in Sikhism. The Gurdwara is decorated especially for the occasion; people of all faiths and backgrounds are welcome to enter. The traditional colours of Vaisakhi are yellow, blue and orange, they represent the "spirit of rebirth and sacrifice of the Panj Pyare". The colours are also a symbol of "joy and celebration", that is why the Gurdwaras are decorated with these colours and the colours are also worn by those attending the festival.
Inside the Gurdwara under a decorated shrine, the Holy book is placed and treated with utmost respect as Sikhs believe that it is our Living God and we bow down to the Holy Scriptures. By bowing down to the Holy Book, we accept all the teachings and words written by our Gurus. Every Gurdwara has a copy of the Holy Book, the original hand-written Holy Book is in the Golden Temple, Amritsar, India.
On the outside of every Gurdwara there is triangular flag made of cotton or silk cloth, with a tassel at its end called the Nishan Sahib, hoisted on a tall flagpole. The word, Nishan means symbol. The flagpole is also covered with fabric, and on the top of the flagpole, a two-edged dagger (Khanda - Sikh symbol) is placed.
During Vaisakhi, a procession called Nagar Kirtan is led by the Panj Pyare (Five Beloved ones), followed by the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh Holy Book). The procession is then followed by the Sikh priests singing hymns and the public walk behind the procession.
The procession usually starts around 10am from the Gurdwara, it makes its way around the town and will return back to the Gurudwara for around 1pm. On arrival of the procession, everyone prays before the 5 Beloved Ones lead the way back into the Gurdwara. One of the Sikh's will carry the Holy Book on his head following the 5 Beloved Ones into the Gurdwara.
Below are the photographs that I took in 2018 on Vaisakhi at the Guru Nanak Darbar, Gravesend, Kent. The series of photographs show the interior of the Gurdwara, decorations and the procession returning back.
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Interior of the Gurdwara - Holy Book placed at far end under the Golden Shrine
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Blue, yellow, orange colours
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Decorated stairs
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Panj Pyare (the five beloved ones)
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The Holy Book in the back of the Jeep
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Mini Golden Temple Shrine where the Holy Book is placed
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Priest and people praying as the procession returns back to the Gurdwara
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Praying
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Close-up of people
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Procession reached the Gurdwara
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Five orange flags - 5 Beloved ones leading the way
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Guru Granth Sahib carried into the Gurdwara
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Shrine where the Guru Granth Sahib was placed during the procession
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Sikh Symbol - Khanda
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Nishan Sahib
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Decorations outside the Gurdwara
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Bhupinder Ghatahora ABIPP, ARPS, ASWPP
Ghatahora Photography
info@ghatahora.co.uk
www.ghatahora.co.uk
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